Here begynneth the thirde and fourthe boke of sir Iohn̄ Froissart of the cronycles of Englande, Fraunce, Spaygne, Portyngale, Scotlande, Bretayne, Flaunders, and other places adioynyng, translated out of Frenche in to englysshe by Iohan Bourchier knyght lorde Berners, deputie generall of ye kynges towne of Calais and marchesse of the same, at the co[m]maundement of our most highe redouted souerayne lorde kyng Henry the eyght, kynge of Englande and of Fraüce [sic] [and] highe defender of the Christen faithe. [et]c

¶Howe therle of Bloys sent to the frenche kyng .ii. C. speares / & the du∣ke of Loraine and the lorde Henry of Bare came to the kyng. And howe the dukes of Iullyers and Guerles knewe that the Frenche kyng came on them. Cap. C .xxxix. (Book 139)

TO accōplyshe this vyage / euery lorde in Fraūce a{per}elled thē selfe of euery thyng nedefull. y^e lord{is} / knightes & squiers / & other men of warre departed fro thir owne places / as well fro Auergne / couergne / quer∣cy / lymosyn / poytou / & xaynton: as fro Bre∣tayne / normādy / aniou / tourayn / & chāpayn / and fro all the lymitaciōs of y^e realme of Frā¦ce. Fewest men came out of fardest coūtreis and y^e most nōbre out of Burgoyn / picardy / bare / & lorayne. & bicause they of the body of Fraūce were in the waye / therfore they were best trauelled. It was ordayned by y^e kyng & his coūsayle / y^t no man shulde take any thyg in y^e coūtre w^tout payeng therfore / to thēcent that y^e pore men shulde nat be greued. but for all y^t ordinaūce / y^e whiche was well knowen and sprede abrode / & vpon payne of great pu¦nissyon. yet the men of warre ofte tymes sore trauelled y^e coūtries as they passed through / they coude nat absteyne / for they were but y∣uell payde of their wages / and they must ne∣des lyue. That was their excuse whan they were blamed for their pyllage by the consta∣ble / marshalles / or capitaynes. The erle of

Bloyes was sente vnto / to sende two hun∣dred speares of chosen men / and was promy¦sed well to be payde. I can nat saye howe he was dalte with all / but he sente to serue the kynge two hundred speares / out of the coun¦tie of Bloyes. And capitayns of them was / the lorde of Vyenne / sir Guyllyam of saynt Martyne / sir Wyllyam of Chaumont / and the lorde Montigny: these foure had the go∣uernaunce of the erle of Bloys bande. They drewe lytell and lytell towardes Chāpayne thyder they were ordayned to go. Than the Frenche kynge departed from Moustreau Faulte yon / and tooke the waye to Chalous in Champayne. As than the duke of Berrey was nat come / for or his departyng he loked to here tidynges fro sir Helyon of Lignacke whom he had sente to the duke of Lancastre to Bayon / to haue to his wyfe y^e dukes dogh¦ter: as ye haue herde before. But he had her nat / For the duke of Lancastre dissymuled with hym / and helde styll the knyght with hym at Bayon. He treated with two parties but he rather enclyned to the kynge of Ca∣style than to the duke of Berrey / and in lyke wyse so dyde the lady Custaunce his wyfe. The duke made good chere to bothe parties to the entent to enflame them the soner to the maryage of his doughter. The kyng of Ca∣styls messangers sore traueyled in treatyng of this maryage: They rested nat to ryde in and out bytwene the parties: They offered great gyftes to those messangers / but they of fred nothynge to sir Helyon of Lignacke. Whan it was knowen in y^e realme of Fraūce that the kyng was at Chalous on his waye towardes the duchy of Guerles / than euery man departed fro their houses and drewe af¦ter the kyng. Than came the duke of Berrey and lodged at Espinay / and the duke of Bur¦bone at another place / the erle of Marche / y^e erle Dolphyn of Auergne / the erle of saynt Pole / and the erle of Tourayne. And with the kynge was the duke of Burgoyne / the duke of Lorayne / the duke of Tourayne / the constable of Fraunce / sir Guye of Tremoile sir Iohan of Beull: And the countrey about Chalous and Raynes / more than .xii. leages all about was clene eaten vp with the men of warre. As than the lorde of Coucy was nat retourned fro the pope: Than retourned sir Wyllyam of Hācourt and mayster yues Ori¦ent / and founde the kynge and his vncles at Chalous. The kyng was ioyouse of their cō¦myng and demaunded tidynges. They she∣wed the kyng what they had founde & done / and sayd howe the kynge of Almaygne had made them good chere / and said to the kyng. Sir / whan the kyng had reed the copye of y^e defyaunce that the duke of Guerles had sent to you / bothe he and his coūsayle were yuell cōtent therwith: and sayd howe it was done by great presūpcyon and pride. And we can parceyue none other / but he and his coūsaile is well content with your enterprice / and ye shall haue no let by hym: & the kynge is well content to vpholde and maynteyne the aunci¦ent alyaūces that is bytwene the empyre and Fraūce: he saythe ye shall haue no dout ther of. Herof the Frēche kyng was right ioyfull howe be it some sayd / that wheder the kynge of Almayne wolde or nat / the kyng had puis∣saunce suffycient to do what he wolde with∣out daūger / for all him. than the kyng ordey∣ned to departe fro Chalous in Champayn / & so de{per}ted & toke his way right to great Pre.

Whan the kynge came to great Pre he ta∣ried ther a thre dayes / he coude make no gret iourneys / there was so moche people before hym and behynde / and rounde about hym / so that he was constrayned to ryde easely to ha¦ue good lodgyng / and bicause of the great {pro}¦uisyon that folowed after the hoost. Fro the first company to the last cōtayned .xxiiii. lea∣ges of that countrey / & styll dayly came peo∣ple. Therle of great Pre receyued the kynge in to his towne and countre / and offred all at the kynges pleasure. The kyng was well cō¦tent with hym / & therle was apoynted to the vantgard. Thyder came to the kyng y^e duke of Lorayne & sir Henry of Bare / with a faire company of men of armes. The duke of Lo∣raine was ordayned to be with his sonne the lorde of Coucy / & sir Henry of Bare to abide with the kyng. the pioners were sore besyed in the forest of Ardane / to cutte downe wode and to make wayes where neuer non was be¦fore. they had great payne to fyll the valeys to make the waye playne for the caryage to passe. There were a thre. M. that dyde no∣thyng els. Whan y^e duches of Brabāt knewe surely howe the kyng was on his waye / and approched the foreste of Ardayne / she was

therof ryght ioyfull / for she thought at that voyage she shulde be well reuenged of the duke of Guerles / & howe the Frenche kyng shulde bring hym to reason. And also his fa∣ther the duke of Iulyers / who had done to her many anoyaunces: Than she departed fro Bruselles / and in her company the erle of Sammes in Ardain / the lorde of Bocelairs and dyuers other / and toke her waye to Lu∣senbourge to se the kynge and to speke with hym. She passed y^e ryuer of Meuse and the ryuer of Huy / and at laste came to Bascon∣que and there taryed the kynge / for he shulde passe therby / and so he dyde: For whan he de¦parted Graunt Pre / he passed the Ryuer of Meuse at Morsay with all his hoost / & rode small iourneys. Than tidynges came in to the duchy of Iulyers and in to Guerles / that the Frenche kynge was cōmynge on them / with a hundred thousande men: And that he had neuer so moche people toguyder before. He was nat so great a company whanne he came to Burboure / where he thought the En¦glysshe army had ben gretter than he founde theym. The duke of Iulyers than began to dout / but the duke of Guerles made nothing therof / but sayde. Lette them come / the fur∣ther they come the more weryer shall they be and they and their caryages shall waxe feble and their prouisyons shall waste and wyn∣ter shall drawe on / and I am in a stronge countrey. They shall nat entre at their ease. They shall recule backe somtyme otherwise than by the sowne of the trumpettes / and it shall behoue them to be alwayes toguyder / which they can nat be / if they wyll entre in to my coūtre: And if they disrought and be out of ordre / they shall soone be taken vp whe∣der they wyll or nat. Howe be it to saye the trouthe quod the duke / our cosyn of Fraūce is of a good corage: he sheweth and dothe as I shulde do. Thus the duke of Guerles de∣uysed amonge his knyghtes / but the duke of Iulyers was sore abasshed / for he sawe well the French kynge wolde his lande were but brente and loste. Than he toke counsayle of his brother the Archebysshoppe of Colonge and of his cosyn the bysshop. Leage / sir Ar∣nolde of Hornes / howe he shulde do to saue his lande fro brennyng and exylyng. These two prelates counsayled hym and sayd. how it must nedes behoue hym to hūble hym selfe to the Frenche kynge and to his vncles. The duke sayde / he was well content so to do. ∴ ∴